Premiere: Meet ORCHA, who marries electronica with classical on Reverie

It’s the first taste of the Melbourne-based violinist’s debut album, and provides the perfect introductory point if you’re to meet.

There’s a lot different in ORCHA, the project of Melbourne-based violinist Matt Sheers, but there’s also plenty to fall in love with. He’s an act only comparable to an elite few, mixing the worlds of organic and synthetic instrumentation as he melds classical music with electronic, taking his skills as a classically trained violinist and combining it with his knack for creating intricate, electronic soundscapes. It’s something he flexed on his debut EP – 2017’s BODYBOUND – and something he’s bound to tease on his debut album due later this year, the first taste of which premiering today through Reverie.

Reverie does exactly what’s promised by an act that can be described like the above, bringing together two years of extensive work into a complex and multi-dimensional package that can only be described as cinematic as it melds together sounds from two polarising genres with ease. There’s a touch of experimentalism in there – a given, consider the bold sound achieved – but it’s done without taking away from its accessibility; the rich vocals and electronic subtlety not feeling too out of place from the rest. “Reverieis a song about the thoughts of stress and anxiety that constantly race through my head every day,” he says. “I feel like I look forward to sleeping so much because it’s one of the only true reprieves that I get from anxious feelings.”

The full album is out later this year, but in the meantime, dive into the track below and then watch him play it live next week at Melbourne’s The Penny Black, joined by special guests - more info HERE.

Tell us about yourself?

I’m ORCHA, I create music using violin, vocals, drums and bass-synths. I’ve been performing and writing music as ORCHA for the last 5 years and I work out of my studio “Natural Habitat Studio” in Melbourne.

What’s the vibe music-wise?

I try to create music that captures a certain mystery… I don’t like being too direct in the music with the concepts I write about… But I always have very clear ideas about what I was feeling at the time of writing a song, or how it explains my view of the universe. The music is created using layers of violin, so it always has a dreamy, synthy-pop kind of vibe, a bit cinematic and textural, but has the grounding of drums and bass as well.

What are your production and writing processes like?

For the new album I’m working on at the moment, I start out most songs with a beat that my drummer has recorded. We went into a studio one day and recorded 30-40 different grooves that we both liked, and then I've been using those as the basis for each song… It’s been really new experience working this way, but actually inspires a lot of ideas.

Rhythmically, I lock in my violin parts with the patterns and the melodies and vocals sometimes reference the drum parts as well. I have been working on demos at my studio and then James Cecil is doing production and mixing for the final part… James works at his studio called Super Melody World out in Kerrie (near Macedon) which is a really nice escape from the city, and has produced and played with Architecture in Helsinki and many more great artists.

Can you tell us about your latest single, Reverie?

This new song Reverie is about the thoughts of stress and anxiety that constantly race through my head every day, and about how I cope with those negative, irrational thoughts by pushing them down or self-medicating in one way or another. I feel like I look forward to sleeping so much because it’s one of the only true reprieves that I get from the anxious feelings. Sleeping is a beautiful calm state of being (mostly) and I sometimes try to sleep as long as possible to avoid facing reality again. When we sleep, our dreams are an amazing escape from the pressures of everyday life. A lot of the time sleeping is like entering another dimension, one that’s a bit warped and strange, like something from Alice in Wonderland I guess.

Any tour dates coming up?

I've got a single launch in Melbourne at the Penny Black on 17 May with Adult.Films and Tentendo. It's free too, so we can all have a big party!

What does 2019 have in store for you?

After the single launch, I’m going back to the studio to keep writing more songs and finish recording the album… It’s slowly taking shape so it will be out by the end of the year.

Where can we find more of your music?

You can find my music on all the major streaming platforms, as well as downloads on Bandcamp, JJJ unearthed and iTunes.